North bearing cap toy

ABSTRACT

This North Bearing Cap Toy, also called MagSnap, is a miniature tethered projectile toy comprised of a cap and handle joined by an elongated cord. The cap and handle both contain magnets. The toy is approximately 7.5 millimeters in length. The symmetrical cap is made of a lightweight plastic that contains a ceramic magnet. The light plastic around the magnet and the power of the magnet allows for the magnet to carry and position itself with its magnetic force line to the Earth&#39;s north magnetic pole. Additionally, this lightness and power combine to make this magnetic positioning a quick one. For instance, if you were to place the cap at one inch above a surface and then release it, the cap would land on its southern edge and bounce towards the north. The energy that can be imparted on the symmetrical cap to get it airborne is constrained to that of an upward pull, diagonal upward pull, outward swing, and side circular swing. There is no direct energy force on the cap&#39;s horizontal or vertical axis such as that of the flipping of a coin. The player casts the cap upward, which will find its magnetic force line—direction alignment towards the Earth&#39;s north magnetic pole—when in free flight, and then attempts to align the handle with the cap so that the cap descends or ascends onto the handle and magnetism joins the cap and handle. This north facing angling of the cap piece during free flight adds another element to the objective of bringing the two pieces together. The variable of where you are geographically, with the cap&#39;s north angle being at its most horizontal at the equator, and what direction you then pull and/or swing the cap into the air is a factor to account for when the handle is being moved, with timing and dexterity, to the position for the alignment and attraction area of the two pieces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a miniature skill toy whose main parts include alightweight symmetrical cylindrical cap, which contains a magnet withone north side and one south side, the north side preferably being thesurface side, tethered by a cord to a handle, which can contain anymagnetically attractive material or a magnet with whatever side, northor south, is needed to attract to the cap piece. The symmetrical cap ismade of a lightweight plastic that contains a ceramic magnet. Theplastic weighs 1.65 grams and the magnet weighs 2 grams for a combinedweight of 3.65 grams. The player attempts to control the toss of thenorth-angling cap such that it ascends or descends and attaches, throughmagnetic attraction, to the handle. The placement of the magnet in thecap piece is the key component of this invention. Preferably, the magnetis placed in the cap with the side attracted to north facing outward asthe magnetic surface side of the cap. The handle would then contain amagnet with the south side facing outward as the connecting surface sideof the handle. Incidentally, this allows the handle to be used as acompass in that when allowed to hang freely from the tethered cord, thehandle will point in the direction of the magnetic north pole. FIGS. 3-6illustrate some of the maneuvers that can be accomplished. FIG. 7illustrates the directions that a player should face to accomplish thedifferent maneuvers. These directions that a player should face make themaneuvers easier to accomplish because they use the north angling of thecap piece to the player's advantage. These and other directions can befaced for any of the maneuvers, bringing along with it, the challenge ofalways needing to skillfully adjust for the element of the north anglingcap. A second option of placement of the magnet in the cap piece wouldbe to place the side attracted to north inside the lightweight material,thereby the south side being the surface side of the cap. The handlewould then contain a magnet with the north side facing outward as theconnecting surface side of the handle. The result of this placementwould be the added element of chance due to the flip action on the partof the cap, as opposed to just a north angling element as in thepreferable first option. This flip action is due to the extreme turn orflip to its magnetic force line—direction alignment towards the northmagnetic pole—while the player is attempting a maneuver. In somemaneuvers, this flip around can cause uncontrollable additional flipsdue to centrifugal force and this one or more flips can often cause theeyelet end of the cap to hit and bounce off of the surface of thehandle, injecting a variable of chance to the objective.

Although similar toys in the past have utilized the principal of placinga cap or body onto a handle, none of them have utilized a magnet aroundlightweight material and its north angling or flip action, depending onthe placement of the north side of the magnet in the cap, as an addedchallenge element to the objective. Terrell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,788, anearly version of a tethered projectile toy, and Darcy, U.S. Pat. No.3,173,690, which does utilize magnetism, and Luchsinger U.S. Pat. No.3,365,839 do not contain this north angling or flip action element.Darcy includes a game of chance, which, in one version, is a die thatmoves in a chamber of the body. The player must dock the tethered bodyon the handle before the game of chance is played.

Unlike Darcy or any other previous tethered projectile toys, the NorthBearing Cap toy utilizes the cap's bearing to north as a force of natureto be compensated for when attempting the different maneuvers. FIG. 7indicates the recommended directions for both left-handers andright-handers a player should face to accomplish the different types ofmaneuvers or “snaps.” For example, for the swing-over snap, a playershould face south when attempting this snap because the cap's magnet'sbearing to north can be used to the player's advantage. In theswing-over snap (see FIG. 5), the cap begins in a stationary positionwith the magnetic surface side facing the ground. The player, holdingthe handle, then casts the cap forward and in a south direction. Itswings over approximately 80 degrees, and then the cap begins its freeflight, no tension from the cord, angles itself to the north magneticpole while traveling north and then the player adjusts the handle tofind the cap's attraction area for a connection or docking.

As an additional example, when trying to accomplish the upside-down snap(FIG. 4), it doesn't matter what direction the player is facing. Thedirection the player is facing is unimportant because play begins withthe vertical upward pull of the cap. As illustrated in FIG. 4, theplayer holds the handle upside down, with the top of the handle facingdown, and then moves the handle upward, causing the tethered cap to flyupward. The handle and cap both face down through most of play until theend of the pull resistance on the cap, at which point the magneticsurface of the cap will turn towards a north direction. At this pointthe player can move the handle down to find the attraction area and thusa successful docking of the handle with cap. The recommendation for thesuccess of this described maneuver would be that the eyelet on thehandle be on the south side during the pull on the cap. To successfullyaccomplish this maneuver with the eyelet on the opposite north side willnecessitate the player to bring the handle down and to the north to findthe attraction area and therefore a docking of the two pieces.

In summary, the North Bearing Cap toy allows for greater versatility ofapplication than the aforementioned tethered toys. The main differencebetween the North Bearing Cap toy and the aforementioned tethered toysis that the North Bearing Cap toy has been invented with the purpose ofusing the north bearing cap as an important component in a challenginggame requiring much fine and gross motor coordination. This addedcomponent can make the object of accomplishing the different maneuversmore difficult or it can be used to make the maneuvers easier toaccomplish.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the North Bearing Cap toy (MagSnap), aminiature tethered projectile toy with a magnetic weight in the handleand the cap according to a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the FIG. 1 toy detailing the magneticweights resting on plastic casings and the approximate dimensions of theweights, handle, cap, and cord.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate several possible applications ormaneuvers. FIG. 3 shows the usual upward cast or balance snap. FIG. 4illustrates the upside-down snap. FIG. 5 shows the swing-over snap. FIG.6 illustrates the clockwise side snap.

FIG. 7 illustrates the suggested directions a player should face foreach particular maneuver or snap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 2, the game device in accordance with the invention isdesignated generally by the reference numeral 1 and embodies in itsconstruction a handle 2 and a substantially cylindrical cap 3 which istethered by an elongated flexible element such as a cord 6 to thehandle. The invention is miniature in size, preferably about 7.5 mm inlength, the cap 3 being about 1.5 mm in width and 1.8 mm in length, thehandle 2 being about 5.7 mm in length, and the tethering element 6 about19 mm in length.

The invention is preferably formed of plastic. The cap's plastic casing10 forms a hollow core 8 the sides of which form a platform 11 uponwhich rests a magnetic weight 5 approximately 1.2 mm in diameter. Theside of the magnet attracted to north faces outward as the magneticsurface side of the cap. The top of the cap tapers to an eyelet 12 towhich a cord 6 is attached. The opposite end of the cord 6 is attachedto an eyelet 13 on the side near the top of the handle 2. The plasticcasing 9 of the handle 2 flares 14 near the top to allow space for amagnetic weight 4. The side of the magnet attracted to south facesoutward as the magnetic surface side 17, away from the handle 2. Thesides of the casing's 9 hollow core 7 form a platform 15 upon whichrests the magnetic weight 4 which has dimensions similar to the magnet 5in the cap 3.

The invention 1 is operated by holding the handle 2 in either hand andcasting the cap 3 into the air for the different types of maneuvers.Depending on the type of maneuver, the player then attempts to align thehandle 2 under or over the cap 3 so that the magnets 4,5 attract eachother, and the cap 3 attaches to the handle 2.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionare desired to be protected.

1. A miniature tethered projectile game device, comprising a lightweightsymmetrical cap, a handle, an elongated flexible tethering element, withcap and handle being capable of engagement at a wide variety of angles,with a magnet in the cap to provide the north angling action or flip tonorth action due to the magnetic force lines factor—cap's directionalignment to the north magnetic pole, and magnetically attractable metalor magnet on the connecting surface side of the handle.
 2. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein the side of the magnet in the capattracted to north is the surface side of the cap to provide for thenorth angling action of the cap while it is in free flight/withoutstring tension.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of themagnet in the cap attracted to north is the surface side of the cap toprovide for the north angling action of the cap and the handlecontaining a magnet with the south side of magnet as its connectingsurface, thereby allowing for the handle to be hung from the tetheredelement to act as a compass—the end of handle will point in thedirection of north.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side ofthe magnet in the cap attracted to north is inside the cap, thereby thesouth side being the surface connecting side of the cap to provide forthe north flipping action of the cap while it is in free flight/withoutstring tension.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of themagnet in the cap attracted to north is inside the cap, thereby thesouth side being the surface connecting side of the cap to provide forthe north flipping action of the cap and the handle containing a magnetwith the north side of magnet as its connecting surface, therebyallowing for the handle to be hung from the tethered element to act as acompass—the end of handle will point in the direction of south/surfaceside will point north.
 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the cap(s)can be taken off of the tethering element and used for the display offeats of magic: a north angling cap, the north side of magnet is thesurface side of cap, can be held and then let go to show that it willhit the surface with it's southern edge first and bounce to the northall the time, while a cap with a non-magnetized magnet can be switchedout with sleight of hand to show that it does not and vice versa.